The Rebel and the Heiress. Michelle Douglas

      

      From rebel—to knight in shining armor…?

      Losing her family fortune, it’s time for once-privileged Nell Smythe-Whittaker to make it on her own…with a little help from delicious bad boy Rick Bradford!

      Rick hasn’t seen Nell since childhood, but with a family mystery to solve Rick needs Nell as much as she needs him. Yet with a past as checkered as his, can Rick ever be good enough for this beautiful heiress? It’s something he’s willing to prove….

      The Wild Ones

      What will it take to tame these rebels?

      She smelled like sugar and frosting and all the things he’d ever longed for. An ache gripped him so hard he had to drag in a breath.

      She swayed toward him, those green eyes lowering to his lips. The pulse at the base of her throat fluttered faster and faster. Her hand tightened in his.

      He gripped her chin, lifted it, needing to taste her so badly he thought he might fall to his knees from the force of it. Desire licked fire through his veins. His lips started to descend. He moved in close, so close he could taste her breath, but the expression in her eyes froze him.

      They glittered. With tears.

      “Don’t you dare kiss me out of pity.”

      She didn’t move out of his hold, and he knew then that she was as caught up in the same grip of desire as him.

      “Please, Rick. Don’t kiss me because you feel sorry for me.”

      The tears trembled, but they didn’t fall. Every muscle he had screamed a protest, but he released her and stepped back.

      He swallowed twice before he was sure his voice would work. “Pity was the last thing on my mind.”

      The Wild Ones

      What will it take to tame these rebels?

      A brand-new duet

      by Michelle Douglas

      Best friends Tash and Rick are in for the wildest of rides when they’re forced to spend time on the other side of the tracks.

      Reforming a rebel image is tough—especially when the past is against them. But when their future depends on learning to trust someone else, they soon find out that with the right person on their side, they can do anything…even risk it all for love!

      The Rebel and the Heiress

      Michelle Douglas

       www.millsandboon.co.uk

      At the age of eight, MICHELLE DOUGLAS was asked what she wanted to be when she grew up. She answered, “A writer.” Years later she read an article about romance writing and thought, Ooh, that’ll be fun. She was right. When she’s not writing she can usually be found with her nose buried in a book. She is currently enrolled in an English master’s program for the sole purpose of indulging her reading and writing habits further. She lives in a leafy suburb of Newcastle, on Australia’s east coast, with her own romantic hero—husband Greg, who is the inspiration behind all her happy endings.

      Michelle would love you to visit her at her website, www.michelle-douglas.com.

      For my little brother, Kyle, who’s always been a rebel in his own way.

      Contents

       Cover

       Back Cover Text

       Introduction

       The Wild Ones

       Title Page

       About the Author

       Dedication

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

       Chapter Four

       Chapter Five

       Chapter Six

       Chapter Seven

       Chapter Eight

       Chapter Nine

       Chapter Ten

       Chapter Eleven

       Chapter Twelve

       Epilogue

       Extract

       Copyright

CHAPTER ONE

      RICK BRADFORD STARED at the Victorian mansion elegantly arranged in front of him and then down at the note in his hand before crumpling the piece of paper and shoving it in his jeans pocket.

      He’d checked with his friend Tash earlier. ‘You’re sure you got that right? Nell Smythe-Whittaker rang and asked if I’d drop round?’

      ‘For the tenth time, Rick, yes! It was the Princess all right. And no, she didn’t mention what it was about. And no, I didn’t ask her.’

      For the last fortnight Tash’s brain had been addled by love. His lip curled. Not that he had anything against Mitch King and it was great to see Tash happy but, as far as he could tell, her street smarts had all but floated out of the window. Why hadn’t she asked the Princess what this was about?

      Because she was viewing the world through rose-coloured glasses, that was why. His lip curled a little more. He wasn’t sure he could stand being a third wheel in her and Mitch’s hazy, happy little world for much longer. It was time to move on. Tomorrow he’d head up the coast, find work somewhere and...

      And what?

      He lifted a shoulder.

      First he’d find out what Nell Smythe-Whittaker wanted. You won’t find that out by standing here on the footpath like some dumb schmuck.

      Blowing out a breath, he settled